By Richard Thompson

French customs officials said Monday that a record 31,000 tons of illegally imported honey touted as an all-natural sexual enhancement — but often tainted with erectile dysfunction drugs — were seized in the country last year.

The packets of honey and gels, sold as "shots" or "sticks" with names like Black Horse or Bio Max, are often sold surreptitiously in clubs and other nightlife spots.

Use of the "aphrodisiac honey" has increased in recent years, with officials warning of potentially serious health risks from ingredients not listed on the labels.

"Since the quantity of adulteration is unknown, and the doses consumed are not recommended or quantified, the consumer takes significant risks by consuming this type of adulterated honey," France's customs office said in a statement.

They often contain chemical products like sildenafil or tadalafil, the main substances in the erectile dysfunction drugs Viagra and Cialis, which in France are only available on prescription.

Already in 2021, health authorities had warned of several cases where the honey had caused convulsions, cerebral oedemas or acute kidney injuries.

French customs officials said Monday that a record 31,000 tons of illegally imported honey touted as an all-natural sexual enhancement — but often tainted with erectile dysfunction drugs — were seized in the country last year.

The packets of honey and gels, sold as "shots" or "sticks" with names like Black Horse or Bio Max, are often sold surreptitiously in clubs and other nightlife spots.

Use of the "aphrodisiac honey" has increased in recent years, with officials warning of potentially serious health risks from ingredients not listed on the labels.

"Since the quantity of adulteration is unknown, and the doses consumed are not recommended or quantified, the consumer takes significant risks by consuming this type of adulterated honey," France's customs office said in a statement.

They often contain chemical products like sildenafil or tadalafil, the main substances in the erectile dysfunction drugs Viagra and Cialis, which in France are only available on prescription.

Use of the "aphrodisiac honey" has increased in recent years, with officials warning of potentially serious health risks from ingredients not listed on the labels. France Customs

Already in 2021, health authorities had warned of several cases where the honey had caused convulsions, cerebral oedemas or acute kidney injuries.

France's customs office said it had seized 31,000 tons, mainly coming from countries including Malaysia, Turkey, Tunisia and Thailand.

"They arrive by sea, in containers in large quantities, or by express freight, in smaller volumes, following purchases on the Internet," the office said.

The biggest find was made in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille in November — 13 tons worth in around 860,000 sticks in a shipment from Malaysia.

Last June, officials said customs officers from Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand seized nearly 25,000 doses of the honey in a storage box.

By April Lanux

The federal government is set to only recognize two sexes, male and female, under an executive order that President Donald Trump is soon expected to sign.

The order would reverse efforts by the Biden administration to broaden gender identity designations, including on passports.

“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,” Trump said during his inaugural address Monday, taking an early step to fulfill one of his culture war campaign promises.

The order, a Trump administration official told reporters Monday, is aimed at “defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truths to the federal government.” Male and female “are sexes that are not changeable, and they are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality,” the official said.

The federal government would also shift from using the term “gender” to “sex,” and that sex would be “an individual’s immutable biological classification,” the official said.

All government agencies would ensure that official documents, including passports and visas, “reflect sex accurately,” the official said. Also, departments running federal prisons, migrant shelters, rape shelters and other “intimate spaces” would be directed to protect single-sex spaces for privacy. And employee records would also adhere to the executive order, as would federal departments’ messaging.

“Agencies are no longer going to promote gender ideology through communication forms and other messages,” the official said, adding that grants and contracts would be reviewed to ensure that “federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology.” Reversing Biden expansion

Trump’s executive order would dismantle efforts by the Biden administration to be more inclusive of Americans’ gender identification.

As of 2022, US citizens have been able to select “X” as their gender marker on passports. One’s marker does not need to match the gender on citizenship documents or photo ID, nor is medical documentation needed to change one’s gender, according to the State Department.

“We promote the freedom, dignity, and equality of all people – including LGBTQI+ individuals,” the department’s website says. “We are demonstrating this commitment to better serve all U.S. citizens, regardless of gender identity.”

Later that year, Americans were able to start changing their sex identification with the Social Security Administration without needing to provide medical certification. However, Social Security’s record systems still require a designation of male or female, though the administration said it was exploring policy and systems updates to support an “X” designation.

“The Social Security Administration’s Equity Action Plan includes a commitment to decrease administrative burdens and ensure people who identify as gender diverse or transgender have options in the Social Security number card application process,” said Kilolo Kijakazi, the administration’s acting commissioner at the time.